Happy New Year everyone! While the pandemic continues to weigh heavily on all of us and threaten the health and wellbeing of individuals and employees alike, 2021 presents an optimistic future waiting for us on the horizon. Many of our folks have already started their vaccination regimen, including yours truly! Last Friday our Corporate Operations Director and a couple of eager colleagues from the corporate office joined me at the Sandy home in Danville’s North/Central region of Utah. We were able to join the residents and our direct support staff for a vaccination clinic to get the first shot. In three more weeks, we’ll return to complete the vaccination schedule with our second shot!
Danville strongly recommends that everyone get vaccinated. Achieving “herd immunity” within our communities is the safest and most efficient path toward getting back to some semblance of normalcy. Health experts believe “herd immunity” is achieved when 70% or more of the population has been vaccinated. Danville’s regional management teams have done an outstanding job planning and coordinating vaccination clinics throughout the localities we serve.
If you haven’t already participated, I encourage each of you to take advantage of these unique opportunities to become vaccinated. Danville is fortunate to be part of the highest priority segment of our population deemed by federal and state health authorities to receive the vaccination for free. However, this opportunity will soon pass and it’s likely that future vaccination clinics for staff and clients may not be available. If you missed the chance to participate in a vaccination clinic within your area, please reach out to your supervisor or regional management team quickly to get on the roster for the next clinic.
We have all endured the horrific effects of this deadly pandemic for almost a year now. Sadly, we continue to see the horrible impact of this virus all around us. Yet, our employees have remained steadfastly committed to protecting those who are most vulnerable. Even when facing an outbreak, these dedicated professionals have continued to selflessly provide critical supports and services using PPE (personal protective equipment) and knowledge gained from safety training; as well as by adhering to Danville’s health screening protocols.
The protection measures we have implemented were developed through scientific research promulgated by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Similarly, the vaccines that are now available to combat the virus have been cooperatively developed by the scientific community in a historic worldwide effort leveraging research that began many years before this unique strain of the SARS-CoV virus emerged in 2019. Take comfort in knowing that the effort to produce a vaccine for COVID-19 had a massive head start before this pandemic began, which greatly facilitated the scientific community in its coordinated effort to expedite the development of a vaccine.
Despite how quickly this vaccine became available, in the United States every review protocol was followed to ensure public safety. If you haven’t already seen it, I invite you to watch a webinar that was prepared by Dr. Rick Rader, National Medical Advisor for the NADSP (National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals) that provides critical facts about the COVID-19 vaccine and its importance for staff and supported individuals.
This webinar is part of a required training course currently assigned to all staff within Danville’s learning management system known as Relias. Please complete this training as soon as you can to learn more about Danville’s vaccination protocol and acquire additional facts from the CDC.
Over the past several months, I have been inspired by Danville’s response to this pandemic. Your resilience while confronting adverse conditions has been truly remarkable! Thank you for your ongoing dedication to the individuals in our care and for doing everything possible to keep them healthy!
Be well,
Chris Hatton, CEO